Nick McKim welcomed as Education Minister but concerns remain

In the latest cabinet reshuffle, Tasmanian Greens leader Nick McKim has been given the portfolio of Education, becoming the first Greens party member in Australia to hold the position. Mr McKim's appointment, along with the addition of Paul O'Halleron as his Cabinet Secretary, has been welcomed by the education sector, though not without some concerns about what policies he will bring to the table.

Nationally, the Australian Greens party has been seen as being against the level of funding to non-government schools and concerns in some sectors over what Mr McKim thinks about the matter.

Dr Scott Prasser, Professor of Public Policy at the Australian Catholic University, says there needs to be more choice in the Tasmanian education system as one size does not fit all students and that non-government schools go a long way to giving that choice.

He says this appointment will be a test for Mr McKim and the Greens as they will have to compromise to get policies put into action.

"They will learn the art of compromise," says Dr Prasser.

"They will learn that being in government doesn't get, necessarily, you more power. They will learn that to get things done other people will have to agree with them.

"This is one of the tests, I suppose, also one of the concerns the Greens would have to have, do they want to be in government? They might be more effective sometimes outside of government."

Leanne Wright, President of the Tasmanian section of the Australian Education Union, says they welcome the appointment of Mr McKim to the job.

"We don't have a problem with which political party he's from," she says.

"We have a good relationship with Nick McKim and we have no reason not to trust that he'll do the best he can in that portfolio."

Ms Wright says the education policies of the Tasmanian Greens and the Labor party are very similar, but that the Labor party had failed to keep their commitments to the sector.

She says Mr McKim will have a fine line to tread as the whole education system is in need of attention.

"The problem we have is that people aren't looking at the whole picture and [are] assuming there's just one area of education that needs looking at," says Ms Wright.

Ms Wright says she looks forward to meeting with Mr McKim as soon as possible.

With a growing list of concerns over retention rates, a national curriculum and getting teen mother back into education just to mention a few of the issues facing Tasmania's education sector, Mr McKim will be a busy man for a while yet.